Aggressive rest therapy

Aggressive rest therapy or ART is a behavioral treatment developed for ME/CFS involving choosing to rest, even at times when the person has enough energy that they feel able to do some activity.

Gregg Fisher, who coined the term Aggressive Rest Therapy describes it has:

The concept of ART is not just to rest when you feel horribly ill or even merely to eliminate "pushing." This is a program of aggressive rest. Even when you feel you have a little energy, you should rest. — Gregg Fisher, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Comprehensive Guide to Symptoms, Treatments, and Solving the Practical Problems of CFS

Theory

Aggressive rest therapy was devised by the father of an adult patient with ME/CFS, based on the observation that activity made patients worse, medication and experimental treatments were not a cure, and only rest seemed to make symptoms less severe. It was thought that rest may not only lessen symptoms but may be a potential cure for ME/CFS.

Gregg Fisher states that he and his wife had both spent considerable energy seeking out and trying experimental treatments, and the energy spent on this had not allowed them time to rest.

Evidence

No clinical trials have been conducted on the effectiveness of aggressive rest therapy. Only very limited accounts of individual patient experiences exist.

Costs and availability

Free. No equipment is needed.

See also

• Post-exertional malaise
• Exercise
• Graded exercise therapy